Averting Destiny
by Thisisarealtagwhy
Summary: He refuses to allow Arthur Pendragon to perish, he has saved his sorry ass more times than he can count and it will not be a simple dragon blade to finish off the Once and Future King of Camelot and the united Kingdom. "Take me in his steed! I should be a suitable sacrifice!" But Arthur won't let him. (Tag to 5x13 an AU that has probably been done but i wanted to do it anyway)


Hey all, this is my second Merlin fic (ignore the one i deleted it was trash) but i think i did okay, this style has probably been done before but i wanted to write it myself. i still find myself tearing up when i think about how brutally they killed of Arthur instead of allowing him to rule. Sometimes i think that he might have been better of dead but who tf know when he will be resurrected?

that ending scene led me to believe that he didn't come back for the First World War or anything so whyyyy.

I hope y'all enjoy

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Merlin knows that Arthur is most likely not going to make it, he's not going to make it and he hates Merlin, hates Merlin for both having magic and for betraying him.

He knows that the whole magic thing was forced on Arthur, there's few he can trust at the moment to return him to Camelot, to Guinevere. He regrets what he's done, if only he hadn't listened to Kilgharrah!

Perhaps it was the telling of the prophecy that Mordred would be the one to kill Arthur was what drove Mordred away. Same with the Lady Morgana, he should have _tried harder._

After all, he had been _awfully_ certain that Mordred was the very incarnation of evil, the one who would destroy the Once and Future King.

Maybe if he'd included him, not tried to have him killed, this could have been avoided.

Then perhaps, his _best_ friend would not be lying on kingly sheets, bleeding out because there is a shard of a dragon blade inside him.

And Morgana, who thought she was all alone, who thought she had no-one to trust for she was born into the clutches of Uther Pendragon and he would _kill_ her for being _born_ with magic.

"Merlin," It's quiet, but it reaches his ears.

He turns from the pot of stew he's concocting in the feeble attempts to coax Arthur to consume at least _something,_ Arthur is still splayed out on those kingly sheets but he's asleep.

Merlin approaches his friend tentatively, Arthur is his friend, his _brother,_ Arthur shouldn't be this afraid of him.

"Arthur?" He asks quietly.

As if being struck with lightning Arthur jolts and seems to immediately regret it for he grimaces in pain.

 _Stay away,_ it's not said but Merlin knows that it is implied heavily in the way that Arthur tries to move away from him. Instead, Arthur asks, still quiet, "Why do you do this?" he gestures at himself.

"Because it is my destiny," it is, even if it means that he will be a mere slave in the scheme of things, bound to labour away in the name of Pendragon, "even if it means scrubbing your shoes and mucking your stables."

Arthur seems to ponder that for a moment before he carefully asks the next question, "Why did you never tell me?"

"You would have chopped my head off." He says it easily, for it is not the actual answer but he can't right now.

"I'm not sure what I would have done." Arthur concedes, scratching his chin. "But, that's not the actual reason why you never told me."

"No, it's not." Merlin admits.

"Are you going to tell me?"

He thinks that perhaps seeing as his sire is literally on his death bed, he can grant that wish for him, drawing in a shaky breath he says, "I wouldn't have wanted you to choose, sire. Over me and the law."

Arthur leans back, his energy depleted, "Will you perhaps try some stew?" he offers, pouring some into a bowl and bringing it back over to his friend.

He manages a sip or two before pushing the proffered bowl away. "Merlin, I'm sorry."

It might be because Arthur is dying but he sounds so… wistful. "Sorry for what sire?"

"Sorry for you not believing you could trust me."

"It's going to be okay." He says but Merlin knows that his King will not make it, he is going to die, and there is _nothing_ he can do to make it right.

Arthur manages a chuckle, it sounds harrowing, "You and I both know that I'm going to die."

"Stop talking like that."

Arthur falls into another restless sleep and Merlin decides that if _he_ can't heal Arthur, then the best way for him to live is to bring him to the gates of Avalon itself, to the Isle of the Blessed.

Merlin can't sleep despite how much his body wants it _needs it,_ he _will_ be with Arthur in the last moments of his death.

It's paranoia speaking but he can't help thinking that if he _was_ to drift off, he would miss the ceasing of breath of his brother in all but blood.

He has wards set up around them in a 10-ft. radius which is why he hears the woman as she traipses near their little campsite, without a word, the fire is extinguished and the smoke disappears along the ground.

Merlin slips Excalibur out of its' sheath, it hums in the night air.

When Morgana passes the wards with a few steps Merlin hides behind a tree, he doesn't want to leave Arthur as bait, but he must do what is necessary if it will save Arthur.

She hisses violently in the night air at the sight of Arthur and as she passes his tree Merlin steps out, wielding the blade. "You poor deluded fool, I am a High Priestess of the Old Religion, no mortal blade can kill me."

"You're right." And Excalibur slides straight through her body like paper and Morgana gasps. "But, this is no mortal blade, it was forged in the breath of a dragon."

She looks so betrayed despite all that she has done, Merlin grabs her body and gently lays it on the ground, he won't leave her alone in her last moments even though it is what she deserves.

"I'm sorry Morgana, I should have helped you more." He sheds tears for the fallen Priestess, the Old Religion swells with the return of her magic to it.

"Arthur will die." It's a prediction, blatantly stated in her dying moments.

"I won't allow it." He says firmly and without another thought, the sky lights up.

"I am Emrys, carnation of magic itself, if there is anyone that can save him, it is me!"

Arthur has awoken from the sounds and eyes widen at the sight of Morgana, hovel dress draped over her form, eyes becoming glazed. And Merlin, how he lights up with power, it's enough for the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up and goose bumps to raise along his skin.

"I offer you a sacrifice, take me in steed of the Once and Future King!" He cries desperately to the night sky. "I am the immortal! The last of the Dragon Lords! Surely I am enough to sustain for a sacrifice?"

It's not conceit talking either, the sky lights up, brewing a storm within its' carefully darkened night sky. "Take me!"

"Merlin no!" He tries to get up, but his strength is slowly being sapped by the shard inside of him, his best friend looks as mad as a raven with his arms raised to the sky desperately, tears sliding down his pale cheeks.

"Stay back!" Merlin pants, "I will not allow you to die, Arthur, you are destined to unite Albany."

"And I can't do that without you!" He roars over the wind and electricity of the sky.

And the world stops, Arthur feels himself lifted up, the _Disir,_ even as an apparition, have appeared before him, clothed in their dark robes, but, white light swirls around them and darkness intermittently.

 _A sacrifice has been invoked in your favour, Arthur Pendragon._ It's _inside_ his head that the voices resound in tandem with one another. _However, Emrys is pure magic, he cannot be allowed to die lest we_ _all_ _perish._

"Then don't let him!" He says desperately.

 _We cannot deny a sacrifice made for another, we can, however, take another life._

"Who will you take?" It was a sacrifice that created him, he has no delusions that it would be someone important to die.

 _We may take the High Priestess, the witch who caused this, her magic and significance will allow for your life to be sustained. But, you will make us a promise, that you will bring magic back to the land of Albany and create the haven we have so desired._

He doesn't hesitate, "I give you my word on the crest of Pendragon that I will see to it."

The Disir grin, or, feel like they grin, _You will be a worthy King, Arthur Pendragon._

And he is back in his body, Merlin by his side, pale. "Wake up _now_!"

"Come off it Merlin." He pushes his friend away, sitting up abruptly, "Has Morgana passed?"

"I- yes." Merlin says, "I thought I _lost_ you."

"I made a deal with the Disir, Morgana's life for mine and a promise." Arthur says, glancing at his sister's dead body. "And don't you try and sacrifice your life for mine. I won't have the future court sorcerer dead because he can't handle the inevitable."

"I wo- wait, pardon?" His face is incredulous and it imprints itself into Arthur's memories.

"Future court sorcerer. I've made up my mind." Arthur declares, "Magic will be restored to the land and _you, Merlin,_ will be my court sorcerer. In the first few years of Uther's reign, Gaius was the court sorcerer to Uther and my mother, so you will be for _my_ reign."

"Arthur…" Merlin says and dear god, are those tears?

Instead of teasing him, Arthur rises and gives his best friend a long, overdue hug.

"Thank you, Arthur." Merlin sobs into his chainmail.

"Now, I believe it's time to return to Camelot." He says with an easy smile.

And later on, when they return looking like hell, leaning up against each other on the back of one of the horses, Guinevere smiles at the pair of them and Gaius looks like he lost a few years off his lifespan.

They all mourn over the losses they have faced, including Sir Gwaine. But, after he has replenished his strength he gathers the Kingdom of Camelot with Queen Guinevere and Merlin, on top of his balcony he declares out to the crowd. "When I was a boy, my father, Uther, declared that magic was the very incarnation of evil and that any who wielded it were equally evil. However, it was magic that brought _me_ into this world, it was magic that tipped the tide in the battle of Camlann.

"In purging magic, the Pendragon family has simply brewed more hatred towards ourselves despite the fact that magic is _not_ inherently evil, it is the same as any tool, it depends on the person who uses the magic. That is why I hereby remove the ban on magic as the King of Camelot. Those who use magic for evil will be persecuted, but _not_ for using it."

The crowds are silent before murmurs burst forth from it, "I know that I have caused some great pain by killing their relatives and destroying their homes. I will never be able to repent for my own sins, but I can start by trying to revoke those that my father made."

In reality, it takes far longer to change the law, the older advisors from Uther's reign are unrepentant when they say that magic is still evil and thus must never be legalised. He keeps at it, ignoring the whispers that _he_ is enchanted and instead presses harder and harder.

Eventually, the law is reformed to appropriately face the changing society and slowly those with magic filter back into the Kingdom and begin to display their prowess, and it takes longer than he expected but he fulfils the wishes of the Disir.

Now, one is hard-pressed to walk through the market place without seeing a sorcerer selling enchanted objects and Druids walk amongst them.

But, the most important change is that Merlin is still beside him, not as a manservant. But warlock and court sorcerer of his reign.

"I'm sad that it took this long for the Kingdoms to be united." Arthur comments at the royal feast Camelot is hosting for the other kingdoms to join. "But ultimately, it will be the beginning of a new era."

He looks to Merlin on his left and Guinevere on his right and smiles at the pair. "From now on, we will be as one!"

There is a resounding cheer from the Kings and Queens and they raise their goblets in celebration.

"Turns out you're not such a prat." Merlin whispers to him and grins cheekily.

"Apparently so."


End file.
